This is my umpteen time in which 2 of my photos are currently on exhibit at Cat Socrates 苏格拉底猫 Bookcafe with a theme this time round to be "Stranger on the Bus". I simply like and will always try my best to pursue each photo theme opportunity released for a photo exhibition at this chic bookstore!Photographing strangers in public transportation is regarded by some as a little odd. Yet pictures of our daily life related to the use of public transportation are what come to define an era and many of the great pictures of the past decade would fall into this category. Photography in a bus or train though is far more than that. It can be hard to define and many practitioners have their own ways of shooting. But what's fascinating about such photographic scene is that it's open to anyone with a camera. You do not need special access, even the most basic disposable camera can be used. All you need is time, patience, shoe leather and a good eye. Get real people, some of us just enjoy photography for what it is, without any ulterior motives, and, as much of what we do becomes a useful archive of contemporary life. Photography has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them!

Shortlisted "Stranger on the bus" photographs are currently on exhibition from 1 May to 30 June 2012.

I had an early nine am work appointment which meant the bus would arrive to pick me up at 8:15 am to get me there by 8:45 am. Yeah that's one heck of a bus ride, but that is how it goes. I got on the bus and sat right in front seat because nobody usually sat upfront and I was self-conscious about mingling that day. I had noticed from a sides eye view the bus was full when boarded and I wasn't going to sit in the front and middle. I went to the back and took the window seat. I was happy they all squeezed into the middle of the bus, leaving the seat next to me pleasingly empty. If you don’t want people to notice you taking their picture and your camera has a noisy shutter then develop an even noisier cough to synchronise with each shot you take. Oldest trick in the book for all of us who can’t afford a Leica! :-)